I thought it might be interesting to compare what somebody earning slightly above median income would pay in the UK in taxes on income compared to the USA and relate the difference to the amount that the American would pay for health insurance and the co-pay.
As you can imagine, the comparison is extremely difficult to make so I concentrated on two taxes that are fairly similar. These are in the USA the federal income tax and social security tax. In the UK I have taken income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NIC). The latter is a form of tax but in theory pays for unemployment benefit, health provision and retirement pensions. However it needs to be borne in mind that in the UK taxes are not "hypothocated" that is strictly defined what they can be used for. Thus some of the funds needed to pay the National Insurance benefits may well come out of general taxation.
To make life easier, I have assumed the person is single and earning $60,000 and used a conversion rate of $1=£1.60. I have also assumed the person is employed, rather than self-employed and has no other deductions (called in the UK tax allowances) other than the basic single person's rate. Nor have I taken into account things like sales tax (VAT in the UK which is a flat 20% on most items except food) or local taxes such as US state income taxes, property taxes etc in the USA or "Council tax" levied on properties in the UK and based on the value of the property.
The UK situation is further complicated by the way in which NIC are calculated and here I have assumed the simplest case of somebody employed but with no company pension scheme. In that case, the person's employer also makes a NIC and I have included that in my calculations but not any payroll taxes on employers in the USA.
Please therefore understand these are very much "back of the envelope" calculations even if I did use a spreadsheet program! So what's the bottom line?
In the USA income tax plus social security tax would amount to about $18,400.
In the UK the income tax plus the personal NIC would amount to about $17,950 with the employer's NIC taking that up to $24,900.
Now of course the tax and budget structures in both countries are very different. While both have local taxation which varies, Council tax for a fairly modest property in my borough for example is about $1500-$2000. Taxes on things like alcohol, tobacco and gasoline are far higher in the UK - while gas is hitting $2 a gallon in the USA it is hitting £1 a litre in the UK.
On the other hand the Briton does not have to pay separately for health insurance unless they wish more "luxury" treatment in private clinics or are vacationing abroad. If they go to another EU country or one of several others with reciprocal agreements, they are entitled to use the state medical system in those countries. Most however choose to have travel insurance to cover items or services that may not be available or as good as that provided within the NHS. Nor does the scheme cover things like repatriation if you are sick.
There are some co-pays. In England only there is a charge for each drug on a script if you are not in one of the number of exempt categories (the poor, young, elderly and some others) however a "season ticket" can be purchased for an annual cost of around $170 which covers all drugs. Drugs used during hospital stays are free as is the cost of the treatment and the "hotel" element - the room, food and drink.
So looking at it very crudely, somebody above median income in the UK is paying about $6,500 (let's call it $550 a month) for healthcare compared to somebody in the USA who has to buy health insurance. Even more crudely, without that employer's contribution to the National Insurance scheme, they are paying about the same in national income taxes as an American with a similar income.
Of course there are other differences. Unemployment benefit in the UK is time limited but then a system of "social security" payments and other benefits like help with housing kick in. (Not to be confused with US social security which in the UK is a retirement or "old age" state pension)
Rather interestingly, somebody who is self-employed in the UK with that income pays less in total than somebody self employed in the USA because of the NIC structure (again back of the envelope calculations).
To reiterate the caveats, direct comparisons are extremely difficult because of the different systems - another example being that local government in the UK is quite heavily funded by central government in the form of grants. There are also intangibles like the personal value of a legal minimum of 4 weeks paid vacation a year (it's actually 28 working days but 8 are taken up by "Bank Holidays"). Also not taken into account are things like parental leave, maternity/paternity benefits.
One thing that is always worth repeating and emphasizing to opponents of "single payer" is that the UK and USA spend roughly the same percentage of their GDP on publicly provided healthcare but the UK has 100% coverage for care which is substantially free at the point of delivery.
I'd be interested in your comments about the very rough comparison in the personal cost of getting health coverage.
Note: I am aware that the current exchange rate is nearer $1.50 than the $1.60 I have used but if anything this has the effect of increasing the difference. Also, the possibilities of deductions from taxes are far greater in the USA than in the UK. I would however draw to your attention that the point at which income tax starts to be paid is £10,600 ('Single person's tax allowance" for 2015/16, @$16,000) in the UK for a single person compared to $6,300 "personal exemption amount" in the UK.
On a political note, the personal income tax allowance at the start of the current government in 2010 was £6,475 (@$10,300). As part of the Coalition agreement to fulfill a Liberal Democrat election pledge, the rise is far above the rate that would have been in effect. The convention is to raise it in line with inflation. The effect has been to take a couple of million of the lowest paid out of taxation altogether and give the equivalent of about $100 a month back to those on the standard rate of tax.